An Economic Analysis of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: Implications for Overweight and Obesity among Higher- and Lower-Income Consumers

An Economic Analysis of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: Implications
for Overweight and Obesity among Higher- and Lower-Income Consumers

Introduction

A large body of literature has emerged on the causes and consequences of overweight and
obesity in the United States (Balusu, 2006; Sisson, 2002; Nestle and Jacobson, 2000; The
Surgeon General Report, 2001). Some of the noted causes are: (1) excessive involvement of
children in video games; (2) an inordinate amount of television viewing by both children and
adults; (3) insufficient physical activity; and (4) poor diets. Some dire consequences are: (1) a
rapid acceleration in some of the leading causes of death - heart disease, strokes and cancer; (2)
an annual total of some 360,000 premature deaths; (3) a ballooning of the number of obese
children to some 9 million; (4) a shorten lifespan for children; and (5) an enormous increase in
health care costs. And while these causes and consequences apply to all Americans, studies
further show that the highest rates of obesity occur among population groups with the highest
poverty rates and the least education (Drewnowski and Specter, 2004). Yet, Drewnowski and
Darmon (2005) surveyed the literature and concluded that no study has been able to link high
consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables with obesity. Thus, a motivating factor for this
research is to try and ascertain whether higher- and lower-income consumers exhibit major
differences in their purchases and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

This research uses scanner data for six supermarkets in the Columbus, Ohio area to
examine produce composition diets of higher- and lower-income consumers. Data are taken
from three stores in higher-income areas and from three stores in lower-income areas. These
data cover 69 weeks, from January 2001 through April 2002. All fresh fruits and vegetables sold
in these supermarkets comprise the data set and a key objective of this research is to compare

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